While waiting Friday at Clodfelter’s in Corvallis to meet a friend for a beer, I passed the time by taking a few photos of my dog, Jewel, in the bed of my truck. Here’s one of them:

I was never allowed to have a dog as a kid. The story line was, “We don’t have a good place for a dog,” which was at least partly true, though there were plenty of dogs in my neighborhood and we certainly could’ve done something to make our home suitable for a dog had there been the will to so.

My parents were fond of saying, “When you grow up and have your own place you can have as many dogs as you want.”

They were right. I could, and I have.

In the 28 years since I left my childhood home for good, I’ve had six dogs: Bingle, Amanda, Data, Ruby, Shag and Jewel, the only one who’s still alive (she’ll be 11 in a couple months).

I’ve loved them all of course, and each was fantastic in his or her own way, but Jewel stands out for being especially gentle and well mannered, and no matter how long I ask her to wait in the bed of the truck, she simply will not jump out; on Friday, she patiently watched the passersby on Monroe Avenue in Corvallis for a couple hours while my friend and I visited.

Jewel gets tons of attention wherever she goes, from people of all ages, and even from folks who, I am told, aren’t usually that fond of dogs; she’s pretty captivating and inviting.

In honor of my personal favorite canine, this week’s list shines the spotlight on seven others that are pretty cool, both real and fictional. Note: Snoopy, Lassie, Scooby Doo and Rin Tin Tin don’t make this list mainly just because they make every kind of famous dog list; this compilation makes room for some others.

Here we go, in no particular order:

Astro, from "The Jetsons."

Balto, inspiration for the Iditarod, immortalized by a statue in New York's Central Park.

Silverton Bobbie, found her way to home to Oregon from Indiana in 1923 after becoming separated from her family while on a trip.

White Fang, from the movie based on the Jack London book.

Tramp, from My Three Sons.

Shadow, center, from Homeward Bound.

S---head, from The Jerk.

And now, our Catch of the Day, No. 48, a Wilson Billy Martin glove that I bought at a junk store in Seaside a dozen or so years ago for around $40. I sort of overpaid for this glove, but I guess I just wanted it pretty bad.